The Story

Following is the story of how we met, got engaged and finally married on May 10, 2008.

About Us

Alex recently graduated as a full-time student at Regent College in Vancouver, BC and moonlights as a Software Engineer.

Betty is a cytogenetic diva working in a genetics research lab affiliated with the Vancouver General Hospital.

How we Met

We met through a mutual friend in England, Bert Han.

Betty spent several years in England studying and working and got to know Bert and his wife Phan. Alex visited England several years ago to participate in a youth conference.

As Betty was returning to her hometown of Vancouver, BC, Bert introduced her to several of his friends in the Vancouver area — including Alex. Shortly thereafter, they started dating.

When we Got Engaged

November 4, 2007

The Story

(The abridged version.)

Alex had a romantic day planned — most of which failed miserably with the exception of the proposal!

(Unabridged, told from Alex’s perspective.)

I had a whole day planned to surprise Betty for their six-month anniversary. I was going to rent a car, pick her up for church, and then relive significant events of our relationship. The car rental was important for the element of surprise — especially since I don’t have a car in Vancouver and Betty normally drives. Later that evening, we would have a romantic walk on the beach where we had one of our first pre-dating outtings together. Then, a game of indoor tennis (Betty’s favorite sport). We were going to go back to my apartment, shower and change, and I would give Betty her first corsage (yes first). Then off to the most romantic place on earth where the proposal would happen — the A & W Rootbeer Restaurant. That was where I had asked Betty to first start dating many months prior. After that would follow a proper meal at The Cannery. However, not all plans are meant to be.

When I tried to rent the car, my credit card got rejected — TWICE. It turned out that CitiBank blocked my transactions because the card was being used in a foreign country (a country where the card has been used numerous times for over a year). So, no car. No problem. The next day, my buddy Clement dropped me off at Betty’s place to surprise her. We went to church and lunch — both of which ran a bit late — then returned to Betty house to get some things she forgot. Alas, we were 1 1/2 hours behind my schedule. No problem. The 2hrs allocated to the hike were shortened to a 30 min stroll. While coming back from the bech, Alex saw a man in the driver’s seat of a car that looked like Betty’s. He ran up to the car and the man gets out, jumps into another car, and speeds off — Betty’s car was broken into. After calling the RCMP and inspecting the car, it turned out that the steering console was damaged and a bag stolen — the car now had to be towed! All plans were now canceled. At this point, Alex had zero intention on proposing that night.

Clement came, picked us up, and took us back to my place (I had a frozen pizza in the freezer, ready to be eaten). After Clement left, I remembered one little detail in the plans that did not get spoiled — the corsage. So, I went to the fridge to get the flowers and said to Betty, “I don’t know if you are still in the mood, but I wanted to get you these for our six-month anniversary.” She saw them and immediately said, “We HAVE TO dress up!” So, she got into the dress she brought for the dinner and I got into my suit. My iPod played classical music as we had our romantic frozen pizza dinner, sparkling tap water, and candle-lit table. It was perfect. Towards the end of the meal, we reminisced about our pasts. I brought up that fateful day in A & W Rootbeer and started repeating some of the lines I had used that night. Then I said, “Remember when I asked you, ‘Would you like to pursue a marital relationship with me?'” She responded, “You didn’t say that.” To which I replied, “Can I now,” as I pulled the ring out of my pocket. As she screamed “ARE YOU SERIOUS!??!”, I walked around the table and properly got on one knee. She said, “YES!”